


Marked

by Shauntal



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-07 21:48:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4279155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shauntal/pseuds/Shauntal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I wanted such a mark on me to show where my allegiance lies"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marked

Although the old man’s house seemed decrepit and barely able to hold itself up, Rin found it a bit charming – romantic even. Maybe it was because the house was placed right by the sea. It must have been so comforting to fall asleep to the sound of crashing waves, to wake up to the smell of sea salt. She imagined herself watching the moon at night with her lord at her side, the wet sand between her toes and the water washing up over her ankles.

As she approached the rickety shack, Rin parted her lips to announce her arrival, but a mysterious, scratchy voice cut her off.

“ _Please, come in. No need to be shy_.”

Behind the partition was an older man reclined against a wall, not quite a _jii-san_ but definitely old enough to be Rin’s father. One of his eyes was dark brown, while the other was an odd, milky white, and he had graying hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. As Rin stood in the doorway, the man looked her up and down, sizing her up.

“You, uh...sure you’re in the right place?” He said, scratching his scraggly beard.

“Are you the one they call Kurugi?”

“Heh, yeah.” The man smiled crookedly.

“Then I am in the right place, I suppose.”

“I dunno sweetheart, I think you might be lookin’ for a different Kurugi.” He said, finally rising from his spot on the floor. “You don’t exactly look like someone who’d mingle with my typical clientele.”

“I’m well aware of that, Kurugi-san.” Rin said confidently. “From what I understand, you are the one who makes art on the bodies of criminals.”

“That’s what I’m sayin’. I know looks can be deceiving...but you don’t look like a criminal to me, sweetheart.”

“Well, I certainly don’t consider myself a criminal. But still, I would like you to use me as your next canvas...please.”

“Sorry, no can do.”

“I see.” Rin sighed. She tossed a small, but heavy bag towards Kurugi’s feet.

He raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “What’s this?” he asked, pointing at the parcel.

“Everyone has a price, Kurugi-san.” Rin said, folding her arms. “I know that you wouldn’t typically do business with someone like me, however I’m sure this is a good enough price to get you to reconsider.”

Kurugi knelt down and picked up the bag. As he pulled the string and looked inside, Rin could see his eyes widen and his jaw slacken.  He then smiled at her with another crooked grin. “Well, what can I do for you, sweetheart?”

Rin pulled a piece of paper out from the pocket sleeve of her yukata. The drawing on it was a blue crescent moon, with an intricate pattern inside of it. She handed it to Kurugi, who looked it over and nodded.

“This is real simple. I can do this for you.”

“I want it on my upper back. Oh, also, I would greatly appreciate it if you could refrain from calling me ‘sweetheart’. I’m sure I’ve paid enough for you to be able to acquiesce to a request as simple as that.”

Kurugi raise his hands in surrender. “Well, is there a name I _can_ call you?”

“Please call me Rin.”

“Rin...” The way he said her name sent a chill down her spine. “That’s a cute name. It suits a cute girl like you.”

She nodded silently, flattered but slightly uncomfortable.

“Anyway, go ahead – undress and sit down over there while I get my stuff ready.”

Rin shot him a disgusted look, putting an arm over her chest as if to protect her modesty.

“Hey, don’t look at me like I’m some kinda pervert, alright?” Said Kurugi collecting his ink and needle, “How the hell do you think I’m supposed to put this on your back with your clothes on?”

“S-sorry...” Rin muttered, embarrassed by her own foolish thinking. She disrobed down to her waist and sat on the mat in front of her, making sure to pull her hair over her shoulder. After gathering his tools, Kurugi sat behind her, but for a moment he was eerily silent and still.

“ _Shit_...” He whispered.

“Uh...”

Rin shivered as she felt Kurugi’s calloused fingers draw lines down her bare back. “It’s really a shame that you wanna do this to your skin. I mean, the guys that usually come in here, their bodies are all beaten up anyway so it really doesn’t matter but...skin this soft and beautiful should never be tainted.”

“Please, Kurugi-san. I’d like to get this over with. I don’t wish to be here all night.” Rin said politely, but sternly.

“Yes ma’am.”

The first time Kurugi pierced her skin with the inked needle, tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. She bit her index finger in an attempt to keep herself from crying out.

“Sorry ‘bout that. Guess I shoulda told you it would hurt.”

“Well I figured as much. This is typically done as punishment, is it not?”

“Eh, still.”

As the procedure continued on, Rin tried her hardest to keep her composure but she couldn’t keep the moans of pain from escaping her lips. She was at least grateful that she didn’t have to see any blood.

“Y’know, this pretty much goes without sayin’, but...since the crooks I work on are always guys like me, it ain’t all that fun to hear ‘em sniveling and cryin’ all over the place. But hearin’ you moan like that...it kinda turns me on. If only I was younger...”

Rin truly thought she was going to be sick. “Well,” she swallowed nervously. “If you were younger I’d still insist that you keep your hands only where I’ve paid you to put them, understand? If you lay so much as a finger on me anywhere without my consent, I will have my lord rip you to pieces. With the exception of myself, the only one this body belongs to is him.”

“Your ‘lord’, eh?” Rin was trying to frighten Kurugi, but instead she piqued his interest, “You some kinda concubine? What’s he the lord of? I might’ve heard of the guy.”

The phrase ‘concubine’ in reference to her relation to her lord caused Rin’s face to twist in disgust. “Sesshomaru is a demon lord. As for our relationship...it is a bit difficult to put into words.”

“Ahh, so is that where you get that little bit of badass?! What’s a sweet girl like yourself doin’ runnin’ around with the likes of demons?”

“Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I trust demons way more than I trust any human.”

“Huh, I don’t blame you.”

Keeping up conversation with Kurugi distracted Rin from the immense pain. She considered herself to be pretty tough, but there was nothing quite like being stabbed multiple times in the back with a needle for the sake of art. A breath of relief escaped her lips when Kurugi finally announced that he was finished.

“Looks quite nice if I do say so myself.” He said cockily. “Why don’t you go on back to your ‘Lord Sesshomaru’ and show it off to him, eh?”

“I fully intend to.” Rin said with a mischievous smile. “Thank you, I do appreciate this.”

“Wait a second.” Just as Rin was about to leave, Kurugi had stopped her in her tracks. He grabbed a rag and started wiping the ink from his hands. “I may have a funny-lookin’ eye, but I can still see that you ain’t just any type of woman. Y’know there’s more to me than my trade. You should come back to this old dump sometime – that is, if you ever get tired of that ‘lord’ of yours.”

Rin wasn’t sure whether she found the man’s persistence admirable or annoying. “Good evening, Kurugi-san.” She smiled, bowed politely, and went on about her way.

 

 

When she returned, Rin found Sesshomaru standing outside on the veranda gazing at the moon as he often did. She constantly found herself wishing that he could get inside of his head to find out what it was about the moon that fascinated him so much.

“Rin, you smell of the ocean.” He said, not taking his eyes away from the sky.

“I’m sorry...does that displease you?”

 “I was merely making an observation.” He said as he finally turned around to face her. “However, I am curious as to what you were doing out there...and why you kept me waiting for you for so long.”

Rin’s heart beat as fast as a hummingbird’s wings as Sesshomaru tilted her chin so that they were looking into each other’s eyes.  “Well, I’ll show you.”

She turned her back towards him and pulled down the top of her kimono so that he could see the blue crescent moon on her back that replicated his own. He dragged a finger down her back, causing her to shudder. “Your silence concerns me. Do you not like it?”

“Who did this?”

“A human named Kurugi who lives by the sea. He does such things for a living, so I sought him out. I...wanted such a mark on me to show where my allegiance lies.”

As Rin turned back around to face him, Sesshomaru smiled that strange half-smile that he would make on occasion, whenever he did this she never knew what to expect.

“I’m flattered, Rin.” He said, running his fingers through her hair. “And it does look quite exquisite on you. However...”

He quickly untied her obi and tossed it carelessly to the side. “No man is to have his hands on you aside from me.” Sesshomaru kept Rin pushed up against a wall while he lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

“Sesshomaru?!” She blushed. “We’re not doing that out here...are we? Someone will surely hear us.”

“We are, Rin. Consider this your punishment. You’d better remain silent if you don’t want anyone to hear. And if you can’t, well...I suppose I’ll just have to make it even more difficult for you to stay quiet.”

Rin bit back a moan as Sesshomaru gently sunk his teeth into her neck, while taking in her intoxicating scent.

“And Rin...”

“Yes...Sesshomaru-sama?”  She said breathlessly, light-headed with desire.

He moved his lips from her neck to her ear, whispering with a dark sultriness that made Rin’s body shudder.  “Realize that there is nothing you need to do...to prove that you belong to me.”

 

 


End file.
